The present invention relates to an electrical connecting element.
More particularly it relates to an electrical connecting element which can be connected to an electrically insulated end of a wire, wherein the end of the wire during connection of the connecting element is simultaneously bared and reliably mounted in the connecting element.
For connections of connecting elements, such as bushing or electrical plugs, to an electrical wire, conventionally the end of the wire is bared and then connected by means of a clamping or screw connection with a connecting element. There are however applications in which during the process of connection of a connecting element to a wire, the wire to be bared must not be contacted. This is the case for example in the medical field, when for example an external heart pacemaker must be connected to the conductors which are connected with the heart muscles and extend out of the body. In this case the conductors which extend out of the body must not be contacted with its conductive core. A contact of the conductive core of the wire can cause an electrical discharge. Such an electrical discharge can lead to grave heart rhythm distortions up to a heart chamber flicker. In this particular case the connecting element must be connected to the slotted and further electrically insulated end of the wire without removing the insulation of the wire.
So-called clamping plugs are known in the prior art in particular from the company Multi-Contact AG, Basel, Switzerland. In these clamping plugs the insulated wire is clamped in a plug and simultaneously the insulation is removed. These plugs are however relatively expensive, susceptible to failures, voluminous and difficult to operate, since they contain a spring element and a pressure button. Moreover, diverse plug elements for bared wires are known as well.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connecting element for connection to an electrically insulated end of a wire, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object of present invention to provide an electrical connecting element for connection to an electrically insulated end of a wire, in which the wire before the connection must not be bared, which is easy to handle, and which has a small size and a simple construction.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in an electrical connecting element having a clamping sleeve in which an end of the wire is insertable and clampable, and an insulation sleeve connected to the clamping sleeve and provided with a connecting contact, so that during connection of the clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve, the connecting contact of the insulation sleeve is brought in contact with the end of the wire with maintaining of the insulation of the wire, and is held in this position.
When the electrical connecting element is designed in accordance with the present invention, it eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art and provides for the above mentioned advantages. The inventive electrical connecting element is composed of two parts including a so-called clamping sleeve and a so-called insulation sleeve which are connectable with one another. The electrically insulated end of the wire, to which the electrical connecting element must be connective, is first inserted in the clamping sleeve and then preliminarily clamped. For this purpose it can be inserted in a correspondingly formed passage of the clamping sleeve and firmly clamped there. Preferably, this passage is formed so that the end of the wire is inserted in a doubled force unloading loop and held in it.
The clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve are formed so that, when they are connected with one another for example by screwing, the wire is clamped between them and its insulation eliminated, and a connection contact which is provided in the insulation sleeve is brought in electrical contact with the bared end of the wire.
For providing this clamping and simultaneous insulation removal of the wire end, the clamping sleeve has for example a recess with a diameter which expands toward the connection point. The recess is formed for example as a funnel. The end of the wire is inserted into the clamping sleeve preferably so far that the end of the wire is located substantially at the connecting point between the clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve. The connecting contact of the insulation sleeve includes a forwardly reducing squeezing contact element, which is formed so that during connection of the clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve it is forced into the recess of the clamping sleeve. Thereby the end of the wire located there is squeezed against the wall of the recess of the clamping sleeve.
The squeezing contact element can be formed in different ways with consideration of the above described deformation. It can be formed for example from the screw thread, from several disks arranged at a distance from one another and having a reducing diameter, or from several cylinders with a reducing diameter. It is important that during insertion of the squeezing contact element the end of the wire is not upset, but instead is reliably pressed against the wall of the recess of the clamping sleeve, and simultaneously the insulation is removed from the wire end. The outer edges of the squeezing contact element must be formed so sharp that they can remove the insulation of the wire end, but at the same time must not be too sharp that they can cut the wire strand. A further securing against separating of the wire strand is provided by a certain yieldability of the clamping sleeve material.
The connecting contact of the insulation sleeve, in addition to the squeezing contact element also advantageously has a connecting member which is electrically connected with the squeezing contact element. The connecting member can be formed for example as a plug pin or a plug bushing. A correspondingly shaped plug bushing or a plug pin can be connected with the thusly formed connecting member so that an electrical conductor and an electrical wire are connectable with the inventive connecting element. The plug pin or the plug bushing must be insulated from outside, so as to prevent the users contact with the bared wire.
Th clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve can be connected with one another in a known manner. For example they can be provided for this purpose with matching screw threads or a connection device in form of bajonet lock or a louver lock connector.
The clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve must be composed of an electrically insulating material. For this purpose for example an impact-resistant plastic which is not flowable at the corresponding application temperatures can be utilized. For the use in the medical field it is advantageous when a synthetic plastic or a similar material is selected so that, it can be easily sterilized for example in ethylenoxide. For preventing erosion in unfavorable application conditions and nevertheless maintaining a good electrical contact, it is advantageous when the electrically conductive parts, such as for example the connection contact of the insulation sleeve, are composed of non-corroding materials, for example high grade steel. Moreover, these materials can be coated, for example brass gilded, for improving the electrical contact.
In accordance with a further preferable embodiment of the present invention, in an electrical connecting element the clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve can be secured by an arresting clamping from an inadvertent loosening, for example by screwing. The clamping sleeve can be provided with a projection near the outer thread on its outer side, which is insertable into a gap of the periphery of the arresting clamping ring, to produce an arresting connection between the clamping sleeve and the arresting clamping ring.
In accordance with a further preferable embodiment of the present invention, the arresting clamping ring during screwing of the clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve with one another can overcome the projection by deformation when an arresting torque is exceeded. The projection is dimensioned so that during a further screwing of the both sleeves, it vanishes in the inner thread of the insulation sleeve and has no more alternating action with the arresting ring. The sleeves can be screwed without further resistance and the inserted wire is squeezed.
The insulation sleeve can be provided on its outer side with a peripheral bead and with at least one axially oriented web which forms an abutment for at least one arresting hook arranged on the inner side of the arresting clamping ring, when the clamping sleeve with the arresting clamping ring arrested with it is inserted into the insulation sleeve. The at least one arresting hook is non-releasably arrested over the peripheral bead and thereby prevents an unscrewing of the clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve.
After mounting of the clamping sleeve and the insulation sleeve, the arresting clamping ring is used so that the insulation sleeve and the clamping sleeve no longer can turn relative to one another and therefore again release from one another. Preferably, the insulation sleeve have four axially oriented webs which form abutments for the four arresting hooks arranged on the clamping ring. Thereby it can be guaranteed that practically no rotary movement of the insulation sleeve relative to the clamping sleeve is possible.
The inventive electrical connecting element is easy to operate, it has a simple construction. It is small, it can be reliably mounted on a not insulated wire, and the user does not come into contact with the electrically conductive part of the wire, so that the inventive electrical connecting element is especially advantageous for use in the medical field, for example for connection of an external heart pace maker.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.